Territory Games
by BlindGhost
Summary: When Edward Cullen abandoned Bella Swan in the forest, she disappeared. Ten years later, Bella reappears at the wolf pack's territory line, having left whatever life she had. But it seems that life has followed her home. Bella/Leah
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I seem to have forgotten the disclaimer.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters therein. However, I do claim my ongoing project called, _The Game_, and any original characters that pertain to _The Game_ as my own.

Chapter 1

**Sanctuary**

_I wish I could feel the cold,_ thought Leah Clearwater as she weaved a fast pace through the wilderness.

It was early February, and she was patrolling the edge of the pack's boundary. The pack, that she is a part of, a pack of shape-shifters, the Quileute shape-shifters, and all of them are wolves. She didn't like it. Before she became part of the pack, she was dating the pack's alpha, Sam Uley. That ended when Sam met her cousin Emily. He left her for her cousin.

_Bullshit,_ rang through her head, _having fur beats all_. It came from Jared Cameron, another member of the pack.

One thing about the pack was the pack mind. It's very useful. When pack members have shifted to their wolf forms, their minds become interconnected and they can hear each others' thoughts and see each others' memories no matter how far away. It also has a downside. Each member can hear each others' thoughts. Anger boiled up in Leah. For ten years she has had to endure Sam's unending thoughts about her cousin Emily. She trembled in rage just thinking about it. She wanted to bite something.

The thunderous crash of a tree falling brought Leah out of her haze of rage. She blinked at the ragged stump in front of her, and to her left at the fallen pine. Noting an odd taste in her mouth, Leah spat out wooden chips and splinters and tree bark. She did bite something, apparently.

Off in the distance came the faint crash of another falling tree. _Ah, damn,_ came Jared's thought, _I chewed through a tree._

That was another thing about the pack mind share. Every pack member could feel each others' emotions.

_Sorry,_ Leah responded sheepishly. Noticing that she wasn't moving, Leah took off, returning to her patrol.

_I know it still hurts,_ Jared empathized, _but please try to keep it in check for the rest of our patrol. You can let loose the next time you're on patrol with Sam._

_Ha!_ that cheered Leah. She had been terribly bitter and angry about Sam imprinting on her cousin, she was sure that the other members of the pack didn't like her.

_Hey! That's not fair to Seth,_ Jared responded to what was going through her head. That was right, her younger brother Seth was part of the pack. Yeah, he was probably the only one that liked her. _Hey! That's not fair to me._

Leah had to stop running, she was laughing to hard. Though it could hardly be called laughing, more like growling and wheezing, she was patrolling as a wolf, after all. _Sorry, sorry,_ she apologized, _but you're just as bad, always thinking about Kim._

_It's the only way I can counter Sam, Paul and Quil,_ Jared thought unrepentantly. He had imprinted on Kim around ten years back and they've been a couple ever since. Leah was happy for them. _Thanks,_ he replied happily.

Sam and Jared weren't the only ones to imprint. Paul Lahote and Quil Ateara V also imprinted. Paul imprinted on Rachel Black, the older sister of Jacob Black, another pack member, around the time Jared imprinted. Before he imprinted, Paul was the biggest hothead of the pack. Since then, he has cooled off greatly. Much to everyone's amusement.

And Quil. Around the time Jared and Paul imprinted, Quil imprinted on Claire Young, Leah's second niece once removed. Claire was two years old then. The two of them are inseparable now. It has been interesting for Leah to watch her niece grow up through Quil's eyes. The little prankster.

Jared's laughter about Leah's thoughts cut short, and she felt a chill run down her spine.

_Jared? What's wrong?_ Leah asked, her question laced with concern. Then she felt rage. There weren't many things that could make a wolf shifter angry while on an uneventful patrol. Whatever Jared felt wasn't good.

_Vampire,_ he hissed, confirming Leah's suspicion. She changed direction, racing toward him.

_I'm coming to you,_ Leah growled, _let's take it together, safer that way._ While it was possible for one of the pack to kill a vampire, it was always easier when there were two or more shifters.

_I'll wait, get here quickly,_ Jared urged. Leah would have smiled, but as a wolf, she could never tell.

_Feh, yeah,_ she responded lightly. Everyone knew she was the fastest wolf in the pack. She bolted through the trees, eking out even more speed as she raced to her pack mate.

As far as vampire intrusions went, they were uncommon. Maybe one or two vampires every two or three months on average. The pack seldom caught an intruder, but the pack can proudly state that there have not been any deaths via vampire within their territory for the past decade. There once was a coven of 'vegetarian' vampires that lived on the outskirts of Forks, a town close to the La Push reservation. But they left ten years ago. _'Everything was ten years ago,'_ Leah thought to herself.

_This leech is strange,_ Jared sounded confused. That piqued Leah's interest.

_Strange? How?_ she asked. Every piece of information about this vampire could make it easier to kill.

_She's standing at the boundary line,_ Jared responded, _just standing there doing nothing. I feel like I know her._

_Deja vu?_ Leah asked. The mahogany waves of hair, pale skin, and soft features of the leech's face seen through Jared's eyes definitely seemed familiar to her, but she couldn't think of how or why.

_Yeah,_ came the answer, _but she definitely knows I'm out here._

_Oh, really?_ Leah returned. _I'm almost there._

She heard his answering chuckle in her head, _Her ears and nose twitched, so yeah, she can hear me and smell me._

_Well,_ Leah chuckled, _it's no fun if we don't disturb their sensibilities._

_Hah,_ deadpanned Jared.

A second later, Leah stopped next to Jared, although it could be described more like skidding than stopping, and she froze as if she hit a wall. In a way she did. The scent this vampire was giving off was so sweet and cloying that it might as well have been a wall. But it confused her, Leah wasn't repulsed by it. She turned to Jared.

_Are you sure she's a vampire?_ Leah asked. He turned to her, an incredulous expression on his furry mug.

_She has red eyes and smells like candy on fire,_ Jared answered as if she didn't have a clue, _so yes, I'm sure._

_She smells like a field of wildflowers to me,_ Leah returned to him. Jared looked at her as if she were a space alien. She wasn't sure she liked that look.

_Are you sure that tree didn't hit you?_ he asked.

_The tree didn't hit me,_ she growled, _**I**_ _hit the tree._ Jared backed away a step. _Oh, come on!_

"Excuse me."

The melodic voice pulled Jared and Leah out of their conversation and they turned to the vampire they had momentarily forgotten. The moment Leah's brown eyes met the vampire's crimson ones, something happened.

Leah couldn't look away. She didn't want to. It was like this vampire was pulling her in, and she couldn't get away. There was nothing else, just those brilliant crimson eyes. Like they were her center, her everything. And there was warmth. It started in her chest, and spread, to her paws and to her nose and to her tail. And it was getting hotter, like she would burst into flames. Nothing mattered to Leah other than the pleasant heat and the crimson eyes that she couldn't escape.

_Aw, shit,_ Jared's words intruded on her reverie, but didn't completely pull her from it.

_What?_ Leah distractedly asked. It was those eyes, she couldn't remember seeing anything so beautiful.

_You imprinted,_ he answered, _on the leech._

That stopped Leah cold. _What?_ she started to tremble. _WHAT?!_ Leah started to emit a loud, threatening growl, and her trembling became more pronounced and erratic. How? How the hell could this happen? How in the name of all that stank like three day old burning shit could she have imprinted on a vampire? And not just any vampire, but a woman on top of that! Leah stopped. A woman? Her shocked mind stopped working.

Jared was making a real effort not to laugh, but there was a part of him that was horrified and concerned at the same time. He had wanted Leah to imprint on someone so that she could let go of that part of her that was still holding on to Sam. And now it happened. He knew he should feel happy, but Leah's imprint is a vampire, one that has red eyes. A vampire with red eyes meant that it drank human blood. The vampire coven that lived in Forks ten years ago had golden eyes because they drank the blood of animals. Jared didn't mind that Leah's imprint was a woman, but this woman definitely didn't have golden eyes.

This would cause trouble with the pack. He was starting to get a headache.

The vampire groaned, which pulled Jared's attention away from his musings. The leech didn't appear to be in pain, just exasperated. "This could be going better," she mumbled to herself, "but it's not as bad as I expected." Jared couldn't figure if she was talking about the imprint or her possibly impending doom. She probably didn't know about the imprint. The vampire raised her arms slowly, arms out, bent upwards at the elbow; a universal sign for surrender. The vampire started speaking again, "Pardon me, but I would like to speak to you."

The weirdness just kept piling up. Jared was having trouble with this. Leah was unresponsive, and it looked like the bloodsucker was surrendering, but that could be a trap. Jared slowly stepped out of the cover of the trees and into the clearing. The vampire stood dead still. Her eyebrows raised when her eyes fell upon Jared's wolf form.

"You aren't a normal wolf, are you?" she asked. Jared shook his large head as a negative. "But this is your territory," she stated. Jared nodded affirmative. "Do you follow a basic pack structure?" she asked and he nodded. "Are you the alpha?" she asked. He shook his head. The vampire, without looking away from him, slowly lowered her right arm, pulled an object from the pocket of her pants, and raised her arm again. Jared could clearly see that it was a cellphone. "Are you human?" she asked. Jared tilted his head, then nodded. "May I speak to your alpha? You can use this if you don't want to leave," and with that her hand twitched and the phone sailed through the air towards him. It landed and skidded to a stop at his feet.

Jared gingerly nabbed the small object with his maw, not wanting to crush it between his teeth, and slowly backed into the trees. He phased back to his human form, but he was still wary. He looked to Leah, still unresponsive. If it wasn't for her heart beat, he would have been convinced that she was a statue. Jared donned a pair of shorts from a pouch tied to his ankle and walked out of the trees. His eyes settled on the vampire and was surprised to find that her expression almost looked pleading. Using the given cellphone, Jared dialed a familiar number. After a series of rings, the line was answered.

"Do you have any idea what time it is right now?" came Sam's sleepy growl. He was not happy.

"Sam, it's Jared," he started, "Leah and I found something that you really need to come see for yourself."

A few seconds passed. "It's almost three in the morning," Sam growled as if he were talking to a child, "I'm sure you can show me later in the day, after we all get some sleep." Jared instantly didn't like where this was going. The leech could surely hear Sam's responses, and Sam really wasn't helping. Jared swore right there that he would never volunteer for patrol ever again.

"Not something as in a cool looking rock," Jared clarified, "something as in a leech requesting to talk to you." There was silence to that. It was deafening.

"Jared," Sam started lowly, "where are you?"

"Boundary line," he answered clearly, "with Leah."

"There are no phones out there," Sam pointed out. Jared would have laughed if he felt his balls weren't on the line.

"The leech gave me her cellphone," he hesitated. Sam's angry growl could be heard clearly over the line.

"And it's not dead?" Jared wasn't sure if he should answer that.

"Nothing about this is normal," he told Sam, "It feels like I know her, but I can't remember where from. She's asking for you, I can't handle this. This whole thing isn't normal."

From the silence on the other side of the line, Jared assumed Sam was trying his hardest not to crush the phone in his hand. "I'll be there," was the simple reply. He ended the call. Jared felt as if he should hand his balls over now. Maybe he could bargain his spleen.

"If I make it out of this alive," the vampire pulled his attention, "may I have my phone back?"

Jared chuckled. With all the weirdness going on, there was no reason for him not to. "Sure," and he chucked the cellphone to her. It landed and bounced only a few feet away from her, but she didn't pick it up.

They waited. Jared took in what the leech was wearing. White t-shirt, khaki cargo pants and black boots. She apparently had a cellphone.

Rustling behind him signaled Sam's arrival. Jared turned and saw two figures walk out of the trees. One of them was Sam Uley, the pack alpha. The other was Jacob Black, the pack beta. Jacob's eyes took in the vampire and he froze.

Sam stalked up to Jared. "What the hell is wrong with Leah?" there was no denying the fury in his tone.

Jared started, "Uh, well-"

"Bella?" Jacob interrupted in a soft tone. Jared and Sam turned to him not sure of what they heard, then they turned to the vampire.

She had a small smile on her face, despite the fact that she still held her hands up. "Long time no see, Jake," she answered in a bemused tone.

Aw, this shit just grew hair.

Wait, Bella? Leah's mind restarted. As in Bella Swan? As in Bella Swan the daughter of Forks Police Chief Charlie Swan that disappeared ten years ago? As in Bella Swan the leech lover? As in the Bella Swan that dated leech Perfect-Hair? That Bella Swan?

She wanted answers. Leah phased to her human self, and pulled a t-shirt and shorts from the pouch on her ankle. Dressed, she stalked out of the woods determined to get her answers from the human leech lover turned leech turned lesbian, apparently.

"You mean-" Leah started, Bella and Jared turned to her, but she was interrupted.

"Nice of you to finally join us," sneered Sam. The venom in his tone stopped her. When did he get there?

"Where the hell have you been?" demanded Jacob to Bella. Leah's head snapped in his direction. Where the hell did he come from?

"Around," Bella answered calmly, "The Aleutian Islands, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California, Baja California, Hawaii, Japan, other places; nowhere long enough to call home, Jacob." Her answer surprised all there, because of the trace of longing in her voice.

"You were here?" the pain in Jacob's voice was evident. "What were you doing? Why didn't you contact us? Why didn't you let us know what happened to you? Why didn't you talk to Charlie!" Jacob's voice rose with his anger, and Leah wanted to hear the answers.

"I didn't have time, Jacob," Bella answered, her voice filled with regret, "and I can't tell you what I've been doing, it's safer if you don't know." To Leah, that sounded like a cop out.

"Bullshit!" apparently it sounded the same to Jacob. He opened his mouth to shout another question, or stick his foot in it, when Bella cut him off by turning to Sam.

"Sam," she spoke his name in greeting.

"Your eyes are red," Sam returned, so much for pleasantries. Yeah, that was an instant sore spot for Leah, her imprint was a bloodsucking murderer.

"Yes," Bella confirmed.

Sam started shaking in rage. He couldn't believe a murdering bloodsucking leech was standing here asking to talk to him, even if it was an old friend of Jacob's. "You've fed on innocent people," his accusing tone was laced with venomous hate.

"If you're asking if I've fed on humans," Bella returned calmly, Leah didn't like how calm she was, it was like she didn't care for her own safety, "then my answer is no. I swear to you Sam, I have never killed a human for food." For some reason, Leah knew she was telling the truth.

"She's not lying, Sam," she spoke quietly. Jared turned to her, his face concerned.

"I don't believe you," Sam spat at Bella coldly. "Your eyes are red." He had a point, it wasn't adding up.

"My," Bella hesitated, "employer, supplied me with blood bags from a blood bank, I think." Wait, what?

"You think?" Jared asked, everyone turned to him, they had forgotten he was there. Bella chuckled, the sound was musical to Leah. Wait, no. She shouldn't be thinking about that.

"You learn to not ask questions with her," Bella supplied. "My worst nightmares would be scared of her. And that's all I'll say about it." Again, Leah knew she was telling the truth, and it sent a chill down her spine.

Sam was getting impatient, killing the leech was taking too long, and he wanted to back to sleep. "What do you want?" he asked Bella. She sighed, as if to build her confidence.

"I surrender myself to you, Sam Uley," Bella started in a clear and confident voice, "and I request sanctuary in the La Push reservation." There was silence, absolute silence. Bella stood still, dead still, waiting for a reaction.

Jared's eye started to twitch. The hairy shit just started singin'.

Sam and Jacob gaped at Bella. What she was asking for was incomprehensible. Why the hell would they shelter a leech?

Leah spoke into the silence, "Sanctuary?"

Bella nodded. "I can't go back to Charlie, I've been gone ten years and I haven't aged a day. But I want a place to call home," she said wistfully, "I want a place where I can belong."

'You can belong to me,' Leah thought. She blinked, 'Wait, no, dammit, dammit, stop!'

Sam was shaking again, but a thought struck him, "You surrender, why?"

Bella nodded again, "I've seen bad things, and I've done bad things, Sam. I've killed. I promise you, Sam, I've never killed an innocent, but I have killed."

"You say you want protection yet you say you have murdered people!" Sam shouted, accused. "No! No sanctuary! I sentence you to death." His decision pronounced, he crouched down, ready to launch himself, shift, and make a killing blow before the doomed bloodsucker could react.

"WAIT!" shouted Jared, he needed to tell them before anything bad happened, like the leech getting ripped to pieces.

"WHAT!" raged Sam, turning to the interloper. What the hell was so important that he needed to get off his chest before the leech got ripped to pieces?

Jared pointed to Leah, "Leah imprinted," he pointed to Bella, "on the leech."

There was silence. Not even crickets were making a sound. Jared looked like a weight was removed from his shoulders, as if his balls were no longer in danger. Leah was unaware that she stared longingly at Bella, the bond already having a firm hold on her. Bella wore an expression of confusion as she looked back at Leah, having no idea what imprinting was. Jacob was staring bloody murder at Leah, the whole pack knew of his feelings concerning Bella. Sam's wild eyes were doing their absolute best to escape their sockets.

Aw, hell. The singin' hairy shit just hit the fan.

"WHAT!" Sam repeated, there was no possible way he heard that right.

Jacob was on the same track, "That's not possible!"

Bella was confused, she was ready to be torn to pieces, but now this thing, "Imprinted? What's that?"

Jared shook his head, trying to make his point, "I felt it. It was so intense, if I hadn't already imprinted on Kim, I swear I would have been convinced that I imprinted with her."

"That's not possible!" Jacob's mind had, evidently, broke.

The rage flowing through Sam dissipated and left him exhausted. He sat his butt on the ground and wiped his face with his hand, and sighed, "What the hell?"

"It's not like I wanted it to happen," Leah whined, she was torn between feeling like she was in trouble with Sam for imprinting on Bella and feeling like she should protect Bella from Sam. He raised his head and looked to her.

"I know, don't worry about it for now," he tried to smile at Leah, but he couldn't.

"That's not possible!" conclusive proof that Jacob's mind had stuck.

Jared was the one who got things back on track, "What do we do now?"

Sam looked at him. He was right when he called. Nothing about this is normal. "This is what we will do," he started, standing up and dusting his shorts off, he turned to Leah, "Leah will take Bella home with her and keep an eye on her," Leah nodded to that, then he turned to Jared, "you will resume your patrol," Jared nodded to that, then Sam turned to Jacob and smacked him on the side of his head, "and you will take over Leah's patrol for the rest of the night," Jacob scowled, but nodded, his mind apparently unstuck. "Okay, Leah, Bella and I will take this to the elders after lunch and let them deal with it." Everyone nodded to that, even Bella. "Right, let's go."

All four of the shifters removed their clothes while Bella retrieved her cellphone, then they shifted. Jared and Jacob took off on patrol. Sam turned toward La Push, Leah hesitated. She looked at Bella, an almost pleading expression on her furry muzzle. The two wolves started off, and Bella, still confused, followed after them.

Jacob fumed for a minute before something popped up. He was curious, _You chewed through a tree?_

Leah and Jared groaned.

* * *

It was a relatively easy pace Sam and Leah set, one that Bella was able to easily keep up with. It didn't take long to reach the Clearwater's house.

Bella looked at the large black wolf, "Jared mentioned Leah imprinted on me, what does that mean?" Leah took the opportunity to phase and put her t-shirt and shorts back on, and blushed as Bella mentioned her imprinting.

Sam phased back and stood proud, not embarrassed about his nudity, though Leah did start growling. It was a deep, rumbling growl emanating from her chest in warning. Sam didn't even flinch, he wasn't interested in the leech. "It's too late in the night and I'm too tired to get into a conversation that deep with a leech." And with that, he phased, turned, and was gone.

Bella turned to Leah, and her low, threatening growl abruptly cut off. She stared at Bella and had this feeling as if she were wagging her tail in anticipation. Like a puppy. 'What the hell?' she thought to herself.

"You were growling, Leah," Bella pointed out, her mouth pressed into a line yet her eyes spoke of confusion, "why?" Leah blushed again. Did she really want to explain that she felt protective and possessive of Bella because Sam was standing there naked? No. No, she really didn't.

"Uh- Well- I-" she stuttered to the beautiful vampire before her, then evaded, "come on, we can't be standing out here."

She heard Bella sigh as she turned to the back door of the house, the sound almost broke her heart, but explanations will have to wait until later.

She opened the door and turned to Bella, "Everyone's asleep, so we need to be quiet. Let's not wake them up, I don't want to deal with them yet."

Bella nodded, and whispered, "Okay." That whispered word sent a shiver through Leah, she tried to ignore it.

Leah moved quietly through the house, she had to turn to check if Bella was following her a couple of times, the vampire made absolutely no sound at all, but she followed her. She led Bella to her room and closed the door after her. Bella sat on the chair at her desk.

"No," Leah told her as she sat on her bed, "you're getting in bed with me."

Bella smirked as she took off her boots, "Oh, really?"

The words Leah spoke took a second for them to register, then she started to sputter, "I-I mean, um, I have to keep an eye on you and, uh, I can't, do that when you're over there, while I'm sleeping."

Bella giggled slightly, the musical sound sending shivers through Leah, as she stood and dropped her khaki cargo pants, "Whatever you say." She sauntered slowly over to Leah's bed, swaying her hips with every step.

Leah was completely enraptured by the alluring vision of sin in front of her. Her legs, oh God, her legs. She was sure she was drooling over Bella's perfectly shaped, perfectly sexy legs. Oh, what she wouldn't give to-

She mentally slapped herself.

Leah slipped under the blankets as she watched Bella walk to the other side. Her eyes never leaving Bella's perfectly round, mouth watering, panty clad ass. Those panties really have to-

'What the hell is wrong with me?!' Leah shook herself and looked away. She felt the bed lurch slightly as Bella slipped under the covers.

She turned and slid her arms around Bella's waist. Her eyes closed and she sighed as the feeling of Bella's cool body against her own overheated body was just perfect. She felt content. She didn't even notice herself say, "There, better." She didn't hear Bella laugh lightly. She didn't notice that she slipped her leg over Bella's, and she didn't notice the low rumbling coming from her chest. She was just lost in how content she felt with Bella in her arms as she slipped into blissful dreams.

For Bella, feeling Leah wrapped around her, feeling her warmth, and listening to Leah's contented rumble, she finally felt at home.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters therein. Nor do I own the line I borrowed from Molly Harper's _Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs_. However, I do claim my ongoing project called, _The Game_, and any original characters that pertain to _The Game_ as my own.

Chapter 2

**Touchdown**

It was the incessant knocking that woke Sue.

_Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock._

Whoever it was that insisted that she not sleep in on her day off had better be prepared, she was going to knock their block off.

_Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock._

As Sue lifted herself from her bed and reached for her bathrobe, she wondered if there were any body bags in the house.

_More knocking._

Okay, maybe not kill, just make the person wish for death. Yeah, that would make her happy, or at least it would be worth having to wake up this early on her day off.

Outside her bedroom, a sound made Sue stop. It reminded her of a cat purring. It was low, deep, relaxed, and it seemed to be coming from Leah's room. Sue wondered what Leah had done the previous night to make her so happy. Or, what was she doing now? Sue almost blushed at thinking of the antics that her daughter might be getting up to in her bedroom. But it wasn't her business.

At least she was reassured that her son, Seth, wasn't doing anything suggestive from the loud snoring coming from his room.

_The knocking continues._

She grunted, almost forgot about that. She padded down the stairs, walked fast through the living room, just so she could end the incessant knocking.

_Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, knock, kno-_

"WHAT," Sue roared as she ripped the front door open, "can I do for you?" Sue herself wasn't a wolf shifter, but her growl was a prize worthy imitation. The girl on the other side of the doorway wasn't fazed in the least.

The girl, or woman depending on her age, stared at Sue with a bored expression from behind her black sunglasses, and said in a bored tone, "Delivery for Bella." She held a slightly curved rod, about eighteen inches in length, in her hand. She held it out to Sue.

'Bella?' Sue thought. Why would this disturbance think that a Bella was here? The only people there at the house was Sue and Leah and Seth, at times. "There is no Bella here," Sue stated, wondering if there was something wrong with the girl.

The girl dropped her arm holding the curved rod, and pulled out a cellphone. It was a smartphone, from what Sue could tell, and she had no idea how she didn't notice it hidden in the girl's skin tight neoprene suit. She checked the screen, then said in a smug tone, "United States, Washington, La Push, Quileute, Clearwater residence. This is the Clearwater house, is it not?" And once again held the rod out to Sue.

Sue nodded, this just got strange. "Right," she started, "but there is no Bella here. I don't know a Bella." Well, that wasn't entirely true. She knew a Bella Swan, who disappeared some ten years back. But there was no way she was in the house. Come on.

The girl dropped her arm again, and said in an exasperated tone, "Listen, lady, I was told to deliver this to Bella here. If Bella wasn't here, the Boss would've told me to go elsewhere, and since I haven't gotten a new location, she is here. Now take it and give it to her." Then the girl opened the screen door, pressed the curved rod into the startled Sue's hands, and walked off the porch to a very expensive looking performance motorcycle.

Sue watched as the girl mounted the bike, started the engine, spin the bike around, and peel out faster than the dust trail could form. She looked at the curved rod, and thought it looked like a small Japanese sword. What the hell was she supposed to do with it?

'Might as well get started on breakfast,' Sue thought to herself. She dumped the rod on the kitchen counter before she reached the refrigerator.

Sue was almost finished cooking breakfast when she decided to wake Leah and Seth. The relaxed rumbling was still coming from Leah's room, and if anything, it seemed to be louder. She knocked on Leah's door a couple times before calling, "Leah? Breakfast's almost ready." Then she opened the door. What she saw made her pull up short.

Leah was lying in bed, and she wasn't alone. Her arms were wrapped around the waist of another person, and their legs were intertwined. Leah's low, contented rumbling was louder now without the door in the way. From the long, mahogany waves of hair, and the slender, pale arms, Sue could only assume that the other person crushed to Leah was a woman.

"Leah?" Sue called softly. Leah's arms tightened, pulling the woman closer to her, and her rumble got a tiny bit louder. It was a cute scene for Sue. At least Leah and her guest were still clothed. She didn't mind if Leah was with a woman, and she was over eighteen years old, but it was still her house. There were rules.

The woman lifted her head from the pillows, and Sue's breath caught. It had been years since she had seen the girl, but she would know that face anywhere. It was Bella Swan. Then Bella's eyes opened, and Sue's blood ran cold. Red.

Memories of the old Quileute legends started flitting through Sue's mind. Bella's pale complexion, the dark shadows under her eyes as if she hadn't slept in days, the way she looked like she hadn't aged a day since she disappeared, and her deep, crimson eyes. Bella Swan was a Cold One.

"Hi, Mrs. Clearwater," Bella greeted her. Her voice was clearer, more lyrical than Sue remembered. The vampire looked down at Leah and lightly shook her shoulder. "Sweetie, time for breakfast," Bella softly spoke. It was sweet, like you would say to a lover, but what Bella said put Sue on edge. Her bewildered expression frozen on her face while her cheek twitched.

Leah pulled Bella closer to her again, burying her face into the base of Bella's neck, sighed and sleepily mumbled, "No. Stay. My Bella." Bella looked to Sue with an apologetic expression.

'My Bella?' Sue was ... perplexed. Bella Swan turns up in her house, of all places, after disappearing for ten years. She is now a Cold One, the thing that her son and daughter hunt and kill. And is in bed with her daughter wrapped around her. Leah was still emitting the contented rumble as if she were a cat. Ah, one word for Leah's behavior popped up in Sue's mind. Puppy. Leah was like a puppy.

Her cheek twitched again. What's going on here?

Bella spoke softly to Leah again, "Honey, do you really want to do that while your mom's watching?" Leah's low, relaxed rumble continued for a couple of moments before abruptly stopping. It was another moment before Leah yelped like a puppy and launched herself backwards, away from Bella. In her panic, Leah didn't notice her legs intertwined with Bella's, her momentum pushed her to the edge of her bed, she slipped off and landed on the floor with a solid 'thud.'

"Ow," came from the prone Leah. Bella chuckled lightly as she slipped out of the bed.

That snapped Sue out of her freeze. "What is going on here?" she demanded, her tone was more confused than stern. Bella reached for her khaki cargo pants.

"Ah ... Well," Leah started, but couldn't think of where to begin as she struggled to untangle her legs from the sheets and right herself. Bella, however, didn't have that problem.

"Sam ordered Leah to keep an eye on me until he takes us to see the council," was the vampire's answer as she buckled her pants.

Why would a Cold One have to see the council? Sue was curious, "Why are you going to the council?"

A perplexed expression crossed Bella's face, almost like she didn't quite know the answer or reason, "I requested asylum from Sam, but I think it has something to do with what Jared said, that Leah imprinted on me." Leah imprinted on Bella? Even though she's a Cold One? Well, shit.

"Well, shit," was the only thing Sue could think to say.

"LEECH!"

The enraged scream caused Leah and Sue to jump. Bella looked resigned.

There were loud, hurried and heavy thuds of someone running, accompanied by, "MOM, LEAH! THERE'S A-"

Seth barreled into Leah's room, almost knocking over his mother. The sickeningly sweet smell of decaying candy came from the one with red eyes. A threatening growl exploded from him as he readied to attack.

At the sound of Seth's growl, Leah instantly placed herself between her brother and her imprint. Answering her brother with an equally threatening growl caused him some pause. Why would she protect a leech?

A hand gently placed on his shoulder drew his attention, and he looked to his mother. "It's Bella," she told her son calmly.

Bella? Seth ran through all the people he knew, trying to place that name. Swan? Bella Swan? He glanced at the leech. Yep, Bella Swan. Wait.

"What?" was the hushed question that came from Seth. He relaxed and turned to his mother, "Why is she a leech?" The disparaging term caused Sue to cringe.

She looked to Leah and Bella, Leah had relaxed but she still growled at Seth, "I don't know."

Then he asked the question that was still on his mind, "Why is she here?" Now that was something Sue could answer.

"She is your sister's imprint," Sue answered calmly, and watched his reaction. That was not the answer he expected.

"Oh, I see," was his calm reply, as if that was an interesting revelation. It took a few moments for the words to penetrate, "Wait, what?!" His shocked gaze switching between the two girls at breakneck speed. Bella shrugged, she didn't really know what to say.

"You- Wait- What- How- I- Uh- How- Wait-" his thoughts were so jumbled that Seth couldn't get out what he wanted to say. Thankfully, his mother snapped him out of his rut.

"Come on," Sue said as she placed her hand on his shoulder again and steered him to the door, "let's get some breakfast before we begin the interrogation."

Bella stepped up behind Leah as she watched her mother and brother exit her room, and slipped her arms around Leah's waist. The growl emanating from Leah instantly switched to the content rumble from minutes before as she relaxed into her imprint's embrace.

"Thank you," Bella softly whispered as she rested her chin on Leah's shoulder. A sigh slipped from Leah as she leaned more into Bella. "So, what is this whole imprint business?" the vampire asked.

Leah smiled, pulled herself out of Bella's arms, slipped her hand into Bella's and interlaced their fingers, then pulled Bella toward the door and echoed her mother, "Breakfast first, then interrogation."

* * *

"So," Sue started, but she wasn't sure how to start.

Bella sat on the family room sofa all through breakfast, seeming to gather her thoughts, while the others ate. Leah kept stealing furtive glances, as her mother and her brother stared at her.

Sitting on one of the armchairs, Seth stared at Bella and Leah with an expression crossed between anger and confusion. Leah lay on the sofa, on her side, with her head in Bella's lap, emitting her contented rumble as Bella softly stroked her hair. They looked like the perfect couple, except one had red eyes.

On another armchair, from which Sue watched, amused and incredulous, she asked the question that was immediately on her mind, "You imprinted on Bella." Okay, it was more of a statement, she just wasn't sure how to ask it.

"Yep," was Leah's perky reply. Not even a hint of hesitation. Sue's eyebrows stitched together as she noticed that.

"How?" Sue asked. She had never heard of a Quileute shifter imprinting on a Cold One. It was even assumed impossible for Leah to imprint because she herself is a woman.

"And when?" apparently that was important to Seth, although, she had to admit, Sue was curious about that as well.

Leah sighed happily, "Just happened, last night, on patrol, in the morning around three." Then her rumble increased in volume two-fold when Bella began massaging her scalp, and she closed her eyes as she lost herself in the pleasure of Bella's fingers.

Five hours? Sue blinked. Five hours ago? The expression on Seth's face indicated that he was amazed and impressed.

To satisfy her curiosity about the imprint thing, Bella asked, "Will someone tell me what this whole imprint thing is about?" Sue looked at her apologetically while Seth grunted.

"It's complex," Seth started, "but to make it simple, big sis here is your other half." Glancing at Seth, Sue nodded. Bella still had a confused look on her face.

"So it's like a soul mate thing," Bella stated, trying to get a handle on the situation. She looked down at Leah while Sue's face scrunched up as she thought of a way to explain. Leah was so lost in the feeling of being held that she didn't notice the conversation.

"Not quite," Sue tried to explain. "Imprinting is where a shape-shifter finds their other half, but that may not mean soul mates." At Bella's perplexed look, Sue continued, "For the imprintee, the wolf is their other half. For the wolf, the imprintee is their everything. The wolf becomes whatever their imprint needs them to be, whether that be best friend, brother, or lover.

"There are four stages to imprinting," Sue explained while Bella listened with rapt attention, still softly petting Leah. "The first stage applies when the imprint is young, it's where the wolf will act like an older sibling to their imprint," she explained.

"Like with Quil and Claire," Seth piped up and Sue nodded. A questioning look appeared on Bella's face.

"Leah isn't the only one to imprint?" curiosity laced Bella's question.

"Sam was the first," Seth supplied, "he imprinted on our cousin, Emily. Quil imprinted on our niece, Claire, back when she was two. Jared imprinted on his classmate, Kim. And Paul imprinted on Jacob's older sister, Rachel."

Sue continued with her explanation, "The first stage is skipped if the imprint is older, or it turns to the second stage when the imprint grows older, the wolf and the imprint become best friends then."

A chuckle came from Seth, "With Claire being twelve, Quil is stuck in older brother mode." Sue sent him a look and he shrugged unrepentantly at her.

"Moving on," Sue said, moving on, "the third stage happens separately for the wolf and the imprint. For the wolf, the third stage is where he falls in love with his imprint. At that point, the wolf is no longer be able to see anyone else in a romantic way." At that, a pleased smile ghosted across Bella's face so quickly that Sue wasn't sure if she actually witnessed it, she continued her explanation, however, "For the imprint, the third stage may or may not happen. It depends on whether or not the imprint will return their wolf's feelings. If she does, then they become intimate friends, and are affectionate with each other, much like you two." Bella's eyebrows rose at that information.

Seth's face took on a far away look, as if he were envisioning the future, his future, "The last is where they go all sexual on each other." It might have been fortunate that he was oblivious to 'The Look' his mother was sending him. Leah blushed, remembering her thoughts from the previous night. Bella was simply amused.

"You listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers, don't you?" she quipped.

"Huh?" he returned to the conversation.

"Stage four is where the wolf and his imprint become sexually active, if the imprint is old enough," Sue valiantly tried to rectify what her son said. Bella raised her eyebrows. Leah continued to blush, and she fidgeted a little. Her mother noticed. The way Leah was acting crossed Sue's mind. "Leah," she started, "what do you think about going out with Embry?" A faint growl came from Bella. It was surprising, it didn't sound like the wolves, but it was still bestial, and Sue didn't think Bella would be possessive of Leah so soon.

A disgusted expression appeared on Leah's face, "Eww, no. Not even in my dreams."

Sue nodded, then continued, "But you considered it last week." It was true, Leah had said she would probably go out with Embry if he was interested. Bella's lips started to curl into a snarl, so Sue talked fast, "What did you think about Bella last night?" At that, Bella's growl faded away, but Sue felt that it was still there and she couldn't hear it, and Leah blushed.

"I'd say she reached that last stage, from the way she's blushing," was Seth's cheeky comment.

Leah continued to blush as she responded, "I couldn't help it. Bella's perfect, and luscious, and mouth watering." There was an underlying tone of lust in her voice, then she blushed as she realized what she said. Bella gazed down at Leah, an adoring smile gracing her lips.

"Mine," she whispered, then leaned down and lightly kissed Leah's temple. Leah hummed as she sighed.

Agreeing with her son, Sue added, "The bond must be unusually strong for them to be this affectionate." Seth frowned, he still had something on his mind.

"How can you stand the smell?" he suddenly asked. At Bella's questioning look, he elaborated, "You smell like candy made with gasoline and way too much sugar." Sue glanced at Seth, she had heard the Cold Ones were repulsive to the pack, so she was a little curious about this, but didn't agree with the candy assessment.

"Wildflowers," Leah answered while taking a deep breath, inhaling Bella's scent, "she smells like a field of wildflowers." Sue had to agree with that, Bella did have an alluring floral scent. Seth accepted with a nod, and a frown.

"Freesia," the vampire supplied, "a type of iris native to southern Africa."

"That's interesting," Sue commented. Leah agreed with a nod.

A smirk formed on Bella's face from Sue's comment, "Boss always said I was interesting." That piqued Sue's interest. Leah opened her eyes, curiosity dancing within their depths.

Sue pointed at the curved rod that she had placed on the coffee table after breakfast, "The same Boss that sent that?"

Everyone looked at the object in question. A wistful expression flitted across Bella's face as she reminisced while looking at the rod. "My Blade," she whispered. Leah, Seth, and Sue stared at Bella, waiting for her to continue. Softly, and almost with pain, she answered Sue, "Yes, the same one."

"Your Boss would send you a weapon?" Sue asked. Whatever job that required Bella to use a weapon probably wasn't a good one.

"Tool," Bella corrected. To Leah and Sue, that spoke a lot about what Bella had been doing for the past ten years, and it wasn't good. Bella squared her shoulders and her voice took on a harsh tone, "You can talk about what you do, however, those you talk to will become like you." The inflection in Bella's voice gave them the impression that she was reciting someone else's words. Sue's eyes narrowed.

"'Those you talk to will become like you?' What does that mean?" Sue asked, she wanted an explanation, she wanted to know what it was Bella was involved in. With regret flickering over her face, Bella shook her head.

"It means exactly what I said," was her soft answer, "it means there are rules, and it means there are consequences for talking about it, consequences I don't want to take responsibility for." Then her voice became pleading, "So please, don't ask me anymore."

The tone Sue responded with became cold and hard, "I need to know if you're a danger to my family, imprint or not." Leah's threatening growl permeated the room, her glare focused on her mother. Sue explained to her daughter, "You're my daughter, I need to keep you safe." The volume of Leah's growl increased.

"I gave it back when I resigned," Bella's answer startled Sue. The vampire looked down at the irate girl in her lap and an idea popped into her head. She brushed a lock of Leah's hair behind her ear, leaned down, and softly blew air into her ear. Leah's growl instantly disappeared, her body became rigid, and her face flushed bright red. Seth was struggling to hold in his own laughter.

What Bella said confused Sue, and she spoke while allowing a small smile at Leah, "Why did she send it to you if you resigned?" A soft, relaxed rumble came from Leah as Bella brushed her hand through her hair.

"It's a message," Bella answered, causing Sue to frown, "it means I'm not done." Sue started to ask another question but Bella interrupted, "She's coming here, she can answer your questions better than I can, if she answers them."

"Consequences you won't take responsibility for?" Sue sighed as she leaned back into her chair.

Bella smirked, "I'll let her take the responsibility." It was then that something popped into Seth's mind.

"The pack is going to love this," he declared. The three women looked at him like without any clue as to what he was talking about. Fortunately for them, he clarified, "The imprint."

"Oh," was all Sue said, she wasn't convinced of his declaration.

Bella looked to her, "What does that mean?" While confused, she was glad about the abrupt change of topic.

The answer came from Leah, though there was a hint of anger in her voice, "The pack mind." Bella's confused expression didn't leave as her gaze moved to the girl on her lap.

"The wolf shifters share their thoughts, their memories, and their feelings with each other while they are in their wolf forms, I'm told," Sue explained, she really didn't see how the pack would like Leah's imprinting.

Bella looked to Sue, then shifted her gaze to Seth. It was the lecherous gleam in his eyes as he stared back at her that made the pieces fall into place. She smiled, "So you're hoping for some hot girl-on-girl action, are you?" Seth looked away sheepishly.

The same thought crossed the minds of each woman there, 'Great, free porn, perverts.'

The low threatening growl that emanated from Leah seemed to echo Bella's burst of possessiveness. The vampire had to suppress the urge to gouge Seth's eyes out. "You do realize," she grinned wickedly, drawing his attention back, "that one of those girls you're fantasizing about is your sister, right?"

The seconds ticked by as the words crunched away in Seth's mind. Then his head shot to the right, as far as his neck would allow, and a comically weird expression froze on his face at the same time he made a sound somewhere along the lines of "Wrok!" Sue smiled while barely suppressing her laughter.

She turned her eyes and watched the two girls. Bella gazing down at Leah with an expression that spoke of love and adoration. Leah with her head in Bella's lap, eyes closed, Bella's hand brushing her hair, and rumbling contentedly.

Sue sighed with a grin on her face, 'An unusually strong bond, indeed.' Then the Clearwater matriarch stood up from her chair and walked toward the kitchen.

* * *

It was the zombies that were getting to him.

"That's not possible," came the exhausted and near emotionless declaration from one of the zombies. Sam's eye twitched.

"Interception," came the exhausted and near passionless declaration from the other zombie, it was accompanied by a slow fist pump. Sam's eye twitched again.

He was standing in Billy Black's living room, where Billy was sitting in his wheelchair watching the Seattle Seahawks, and ignoring the zombies on his sofa. On the coffee table in front of the sofa rested an empty pizza box from Domino's. To Billy's right was an end table which held the TV remote and two open bottles of Bud Light. The recliner on the other side of the small table sat unoccupied.

Sam's curiosity finally won out. "What's with the zombies?" he asked Billy. The older man glanced at Zombie One and Zombie Two then turned back to the game and grunted.

"They've been like that all day," Billy answered in his deep, gravelly voice. He turned to Sam, "Jake went out on patrol last night, after he had already finished his shift-"

"That's not possible," Zombie One broke in with his exhausted statement, yet his eyes were vacant so it might just have been a coincidence.

Billy and Sam ignored him as the older man continued, "-and he's been like that since he got back. And Jared-"

"Sack," Zombie Two decided to break in with his passionless cry, his vacant eyes oddly focused on the game, although the play he called happened a minute prior so it might have just been a coincidence.

Billy gestured to Zombie Two, er, Jared. "I called Kim to see what she knew about it," Billy sighed and rubbed his left temple, "and she started screaming that he had imprinted on someone else and she kicked him out, then she hung up on me, loudly." He turned his chair to face Sam, "What the hell happened last night?"

Sam's eye twitched, he really didn't want to do this. "Jared and Leah were on patrol last night. They found someone at the borderline, and since Jared has already imprinted so..." Sam's voice trailed off there, and Billy came to his own conclusion.

"Leah imprinted," Billy finished. Zombie One had his own opinion on that, of course it could have been a coincidence.

"That's not possible."

Billy pointed at Jake, er, Zombie One. "He was like that last night," Sam explained. Billy grunted and turned back to the game.

"So, when do we get to meet the new guy?" the older man asked. When Sam hesitated, Billy turned back to him, "Well?"

"Incomplete," was Zombie Two's contribution. The two older men ignored him.

With an almost pained expression, Sam admitted, "Leah didn't imprint on a guy."

Billy's expression pinched, as he thought about it, "That's not out of the realm of possibility, and we never thought Leah could be a wolf."

"That's not possible," Billy scowled at Zombie One's declaration, it was entirely possible that the zombie never noticed.

"It's more that that," Sam said in exasperation, "they should be here by now." Billy raised an eyebrow, but the two men turned to the game. After a commercial break there was a knock on the front door, and Zombie Two added his two cents.

"Pass," which was followed by a fist pump, although he could have been talking about the game. But the visitors entered anyway.

Seth Clearwater entered first, followed by his mother, Sue. After one look at the two zombies on the couch, Seth started giggling. Sue on the other hand, she took in Jacob's and Jared's vacant expressions and dark rings under glazed eyes. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn that they were zombies.

Leah was the next person to enter Billy's living room, pulling another person by the hand. Billy had never seen such a happy expression on the young woman's face. Right there, any reservations Billy had about Leah's imprint faded. Then he looked at the woman holding Leah's hand, and was pleased to see Bella Swan.

The older man blinked. Bella Swan, the daughter of one of his best friends, who had gone missing around ten years ago. And now she's standing there, holding Leah's hand, apparently Leah's imprint. And she hadn't aged a day since she disappeared.

There were only two things Billy could think of to explain that. A wolf, or a Cold One. He knew Bella wasn't a wolf, and his blood chilled at the second thought. Billy looked in Bella's eyes, and he saw red. His eye twitched. Why couldn't things just be simple? Bella was a Cold One. The older man turned to the small table next to him and looked at the two open bottle of Bud Light, and sighed. He needed a cold one.

Billy turned to Sam, "You couldn't give me a simple problem?" There was no malice in his question, it almost seemed like he was amused. Then he turned to the red-eyed young woman, "Bella, it's been a while."

Bella inclined her head in greeting, mahogany waves of hair dancing around her face, "Hello, Billy."

The older man smirked, but his tone was serious as he addressed Leah, "You imprinted on Bella."

Leah nodded but it was Zombie Jake that answered, "That's not possible."

Zombie Jared followed up with, "Fumble."

Seth's eyes darted between the two zombies before an idea seemed to pop into his head, and he walked into the kitchen, apparently looking for something.

Sam, doing his absolute best to ignore the two zombies on the couch, spoke, "I think you can see the problem."

The older man grunted and frowned. A wolf imprinting on a Cold One was a problem. And they had to come to him. Oh joy. "What can I do for you?" Billy asked of Leah and Bella.

The brunette vampire, still holding Leah's hand, squared her shoulders and started, "I surrender myself to the Quileute and the La Push wolf pack and request sanctuary in La Push." She was clear and articulate with her words.

Before the father of one of the couch zombies could answer, Seth stepped back into the living room holding a granola bar, of all things, and took a seat on the sofa next to Zombie Jake. Leah's little brother opened the snack but didn't eat it, he just sat there staring intently at Zombie Jake.

Billy decided to ignore the supernatural world that seemed to be developing on his couch, and answered Bella, "No." Very simple answer.

"What, why?" Leah whined. She didn't like that response, but what was she to do?

"The council will barely accept your imprint-" started the older man to Leah, but was interrupted by the zombie attempting to impersonate his son, or his son impersonating a zombie, he couldn't tell which.

"That's not," Zombie Jake started, and with lightning fast reflexes, Seth thrust the granola bar into Zombie Jake's mouth. Oblivious, Zombie Jake finished his ongoing monologue, "Phlothiful." Seth chuckled madly.

"Seth!" His mother scolded, but the second couch zombie had to get in on the act.

"Field goal," the perfectly unenthusiastic declaration from Zombie Jared, followed by a slow fist pump, was perfectly inserted into the conversation. Of course he could have been talking about the particular field goal that happened a minute prior.

In response, Seth laughed himself off the sofa. Billy let his head fall into his hand as he groaned. Sue frowned as she fought a losing battle to not laugh. Leah buried her face into Bella's shoulder as she started to giggle. Bella's face froze, it was the only thing she could do other than laugh. And Sam, standing there with his arms crossed, it looked like his face was having a seizure for all the muscles that were twitching and spasming. He could tell if he wanted to laugh hysterically, or hysterically scream at them.

"The council won't do anything to you because you're Leah's imprint," Billy started again, to Bella, when he calmed himself, "but they won't welcome you because you are a Cold One."

The vampire nodded, she had a good idea of why she was called a Cold One. Leah wrapped an arm around her waist and leaned her head on Bella's shoulder, "She can't stay?"

The couch zombie with half a granola bar sticking out of his mouth interrupted, "Phlath loth phlothiful." And the granola bar was drooling. Sue had to look away, or lose her lunch. Billy gestured to the couch zombie, despite the speech impediment, it was the perfect answer.

The front door to Billy's house suddenly opened, admitting a new person to the mix, and the person started hollering, and it was a voice that everyone recognized, "Alright Billy, I got all the gear ready to go for tomorrow, so when do you want-"

The voice of Charlie Swan cut off there as he noticed the crowd of people in his best friend's living room, and his eyes fell on one person. A person he hadn't seen for a decade. "Bells?"

There was, apparently, only one thing to say to that, as Jared slowly pumped his fist in the air and exhaustedly declared, "Touchdown!"


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight or the characters therein. Nor do I own the characters and setting of the manga _First Love Sisters_. However, I do claim my ongoing project called, _The Game_, and any original characters that pertain to _The Game_ as my own.

Chapter 3

Perception

**Five Days Ago**

She was standing on the peak of a mountain. In northern Alaska, the place was frozen. The cold wind was strong enough to blow a man away, but she stood firm, her hair whipping about her face. She chose the color blonde, yesterday it was blue. The bitter chill of the wind cut right through her, but she didn't care.

Her violet eyes took in the landscape through her silver aviator sunglasses. Massive snow, ice, and rock covered mountains all around her. They were foreboding, intimidating, and awe inspiring. Despite the cold beauty, there was no life there. No trees, no animals, no insects. Nothing lived this far north, this high on a mountain. Except her. But she was just sight seeing. This was her territory after all.

A device in her thermal suit chirped. The ringing of her smartphone was carried away by the howling winds, but she heard it anyway. Like life, there were no cellular towers that far north, but it wasn't a normal smartphone. It was much more sophisticated than that.

"What?" she barked into the device. There was no need or reason for pleasantries with that device. She didn't even yell over the wind, as if it weren't there.

"Your _friend's_ enforcer just retired," came a voice on the other end of the call. It was a male, and one of her top lieutenants. The emphasis on 'friend' told her whom he was talking about. This piqued her interest.

"Really?" she questioned.

"Yes," her man responded with an amused tone. "Want us to recruit her?"

She chuckled at that. "No. She must have a reason for wanting out," a grim smirk appeared on her pale face. "Besides, I don't think that my _friend_ would let an asset like that go. Even if we did recruit Bella, she wouldn't be important to my plans," the woman told him.

Bella Swan, her 'friend's' premier enforcer. A position that her 'friend' pioneered to police one's own hunters and act as auxiliary hunters on operations, and Bella Swan just happened to be the best.

"That is true," her man acceded.

Her grim smirk widened to a devious smile. "This actually helps," her tone full of mirth, "while she is focused on Bella, my plans can move forward even faster."

The man on the other end of the phone seemed skeptical, "Are you sure about that?" It wasn't often that her men questioned her, but they didn't know what she knew.

"Of course I'm sure," she answered smugly, her free hand caressing the scabbard of the sheathed sword strapped to her back, her Blade, "I was Boss' first apprentice, after all."

"That's true," he acceded again. She was the only person who knew the most about how her former boss operated.

Her smile returned. "Get my primary assets into position discreetly," she ordered. "If she finds out, I'm holding you responsible. Then get my secondary assets in place as obviously as possible."

"Yes, ma'am," her man acquiesced. "You know, no one's saying you shouldn't go down and say 'Hello.'"

Her face brightened, her smile went crazy, and a malicious glint appeared in her eyes, "I should, shouldn't I?"

She ended the call and slipped the smartphone into the pocket that she retrieved it from. Then her frame started to grow. She grew taller by a few inches. Her skin started to darken, not as pale as before. And her hair, the waves of blonde whipping in the merciless wind, shortened and lost the waves, and changed to red.

It was time to return to civilization.

* * *

**Three Days Ago**

"JASPER!"

The loud, desperate scream came from the person running through the Diemerstein forest of Germany. A girl, and her running speed was far faster than a human could achieve.

"JASPER!"

She was small, only a wisp of a thing. Her golden eyes were wide as she ran, but she wasn't really seeing anything. She was only dodging the trees on instinct. In her panicked state, she didn't even know which direction she was going.

"JASP-"

Her frantic scream cut off as something barreled into her from the side and tackled her to the forest floor. She slid for a good fifteen feet before attempting to struggle to her feet. Strong arms immediately wrapped around her slim form, and waves of calm started to wash over her.

"Calm down, Darlin'," came the voice she so desperately wanted to hear. She stopped struggling.

"Jasper?" she asked. Her eyes blinked and she saw the scarred, handsome face of her husband above her.

"It's me, Alice, it's me," Jasper murmured as he brushed a few leafs out of the smaller vampire's spiky, black hair. "What was all that hollerin' about?"

"I saw it!" Alice wailed as she crushed her smaller body to his. "I saw it happen!" The amount of pain, anguish and fear rolling off his wife was staggering.

The scarred vampire was worried. Alice most likely had a vision. If she had seen something in the forest, other than a tree, she would have dealt with it then and there. Others in the Cullen family had gifts, as they were called. The 'eldest son,' Edward, is able to read minds. The 'middle son,' Emmett, has super strength. The 'father,' Carlisle, is immune to bloodlust. He himself can feel and manipulate emotions. And Alice has visions of the future. A vision that could send Alice tearing through a forest could not be a good thing.

He had to know. "Saw what, Darlin'?" he asked. In his long life as a vampire he had seen and done many dark and repulsive things, so he was prepared for what she had to say.

"Bella," she whispered as she sobbed quietly on his shoulder.

Okay, he was not prepared. "What happened?" he whispered back. He cradled her head with one hand while he rubbed her back with the other. He was trying to calm her, but her emotions were almost overwhelming him.

In halting whispers, Alice choked out, "She... she w-was... k-k-killed."

Now he was back on familiar territory, but that wasn't the point. Not a day had gone by since that disaster of a birthday party all those years ago that he didn't think of Bella. A lot of it was remorse, he had lost control and could have killed her. And there was regret, for pushing her away.

"What? How?" Jasper asked. He, like the rest of the family, wanted Bella to be safe.

The pain was evident in Alice's voice, she severely didn't want to remember the vision. "A woman... red hair... sunglasses... black coat... she was b-breaking her... t-tearing Bella ap-apart," she couldn't continue, and started sobbing in earnest.

Jasper's golden eyes hardened. The few times anyone in the family proposed going back to Forks, Washington, his brother Edward always objected with two reasons: it wasn't safe for Bella if they returned, and Bella didn't want them there.

Well, screw Edward. The family, or at least Alice and himself, could protect Bella from some red haired, sunglasses and coat wearin' bitch from tearing her to pieces, and from himself if she has a nosebleed.

Jasper pulled away from his wife and held her tear streaked face in his hands. He pushed resolve as hard as he could. "Let's go tell the others," he told her as he looked in her eyes, "we'll save Bella."

* * *

**Yesterday**

Forks Police Chief Charlie Swan sat at his desk that Sunday morning with a storm on his brow and bags under his eyes. It was supposed to be his day off, but no, he was there, at the station, so he wouldn't be around his daughter, Bella Swan, who miraculously appeared the day before at Billy Black's, his best friend, house after disappearing for ten years.

That was how it started. And that was how he learned of vampires. And that was how he learned of shape-shifters. Although, he thought it was odd to call them shape-shifters if they could only change into giant wolves. And that was when he learned that Bella and Leah were as close to being married as possible without actually being married, even though Bella had shown up in the dead of night that morning.

When he heard that Bella wasn't going to be allowed to live on the reservation, Charlie offered to let her move back in with him. But Bella said she wasn't going anywhere without Leah, which caused Charlie to offer Leah the chance to move in as well. She accepted instantly. So he was finally going to get a good night's sleep knowing that his daughter was safe and well and close by.

And that was the reason for the bags under his eyes. He didn't sleep. It wasn't for lack of trying. His daughter and her girlfriend were very vocal. The entire night. He couldn't look at either of their faces when they came down for breakfast that morning. He had tried to keep from blushing when he heard the happy and affectionate tones in their voices when they talked to each other. Then he bolted from the house as soon as breakfast was finished and cleaned up, telling them that he'd see them later that night, and ended up at the police station.

And that was the reason for the storm on his brow. It was his day off. He wasn't supposed to spend his day off at the office. He was supposed to be fishing with Billy. But Billy was smoothing things over with the council about Bella and Leah. Charlie would actually like to spend the day with Bella and, by extension, Leah. But he didn't want to embarrass himself and, by extension, them with what happened during the night.

And now that he was at the station, he could do something to resolve his curiosity. His curiosity about what Bella told him about what she had been doing the past ten years. It was surprisingly vague, just locations like Japan and the west coast of the United States. The tension Bella had, as well as the Clearwaters, when she claimed that she didn't want to talk about it told him that whatever she had been doing the past ten years, wasn't good.

Charlie couldn't really do a search for criminal records pertaining to his daughter and try to keep it quiet. And it was likely that he wouldn't get access to foreign criminal records. But his office computer did have the internet.

He searched on his internet browser for a person with red eyes and suspicious activity. There were thousands of results. Before he adjusted his search parameters, he opened a topic that caught his eye.

In Japan, at an all-girls high school where a student passed away, other students claimed that a medieval battle broke out in the halls, and that a woman with red eyes brought an end to it. There was a video link. Charlie clicked on it.

_"I'm here at Tsunokamizaka Girls' Academy where high school freshman Matsuzato Chika passed away suddenly due to complications of her chronic pulmonary disea-" the reporter, a woman with long black hair, was suddenly interrupted._

_"Chika wasn't sick," a young girl with braided light brown hair yelled, "she was murdered!"_

_The reporter was taken aback. Thinking that the girl was hysterical, she decided to humor her, "And what makes you think that?"_

_The girl glared at her, "I saw it! I saw those bastards run her through!"_

_'Run her through?' the reporter thought. 'This girl is clearly delusional.' Trying to keep this going, the reporter asked, "Can you tell me just what you saw?"_

_The girl continued to glare at her, not believing for a second that the reporter believed her. "Three men with swords came into the school saying how they were going to have some fun with us. Chika drew their attention from all of us, she saved us from them, then they killed her," she growled._

_"So you're saying that your friend became the plaything of these three men?" the disbelief was evident in the reporter's voice._

_The girl started screaming, "No, you moron, she fought them! They couldn't even touch her until they surrounded her in the courtyard! They said that was the most fun they had in ages, then they ran her through!"_

_The reporter was affronted at being called a moron, and decided to call the apparent inconsistency in the girl's story, "If these three men with swords killed your friend, why didn't they kill anyone else?"_

_The girl's glare intensified, but a satisfied smirk appeared on her face, "Because of the woman with the red eyes, she killed them."_

_'Red eyes?' the reporter wondered. 'What, now we have vampires?' Grimly, the reporter asked, "If that were true, why didn't the investigators find any evidence of your so called battle?"_

_"The trucks came and people in hazmat suits 'sterilized' everything! The red eyed woman went with them," the girl told the reporter without any hesitation, looking her right in the eyes._

_'A medieval battle, a vampire, and now a government conspiracy,' the reporter thought. It was time to get away from the crazy girl with rampant delusions. So she and the cameraman started walking away, however, the reporter continued the report, "As you can see, students like that girl have been making wild and fantastical statements since paramedics and investigators arrived at Tsunokamizaka. Psychologists say that this is just a coping mechanism and a way to rationalize-"_

_"YOU BITC-" the reporter, and the video, cut off there when the girl launched herself at the reporter._

Charlie sat back as the video finished. 'Bella's a vampire,' he thought to himself, 'maybe there's some truth to that story after all.'

He then leaned back into his chair and closed his eyes, intent on thinking about it some more. And promptly fell asleep.

* * *

**Present Time**

It was a pleasant and nice afternoon to spend outdoors, despite the cloud covered sky. Bella sat on the back porch of her father's house with Leah. She sat between Leah's legs, leaning against her mate's body.

She luxuriated in it. Leah's warmth, the softness of Leah's chest against her back, the sensation of Leah's breaths as she nuzzled the back of her neck, the slow rhythmic pulsing of Leah's heartbeat, the strong and loving embrace of Leah's arms. It was a moment that she wanted to last forever as she snuggled deeper into Leah, her eyes closed.

"I find it funny," Leah murmured. She placed a lingering kiss behind Bella's ear.

The vampire sighed as she tilted her head, giving her wolf better access. "What's funny?" Bella murmured back.

Leah slowly inhaled Bella's scent before answering, "You're a vampire, and you're still clumsy."

Bella gasped in mock indignation and replied, "I am not clumsy."

Leah giggled and tightened her arms around her mate, "What about when you tripped on the stairs yesterday?"

A smile started creeping onto Bella's face as she interlaced her fingers with Leah's. "You caught me before I could fall," she reminded the russet skinned woman behind her.

Leah smirked, and nuzzled her vampire's neck, "And the dust bunny on the living room rug?"

"You caught me then, too," Bella reminded her with an amused tone.

Leah's smirk widened into a smile, "And the water in the shower?"

The vampire brought up one of Leah's hands and tenderly kissed her knuckles, "You caught me again."

Leah lick her lips. "I'm sensing a pattern here," she whispered into Bella's ear before nibbling on it.

Bella gasped as heat flared between her legs. "You are?" she asked almost breathlessly.

"Mmmhmm," Leah trailed a line of kisses down her Bella's neck. "I wonder what it could mean," she murmured.

"Seemed like a good way to get into your arms," the huskiness of the crimson eyed woman's voice was tinged with lust.

Leah nipped Bella's shoulder, then brought her lips up to her vampire's ear. "So I should never let you go?" her whisper was tinged with lust as well.

"Oh, yeah," Bella moaned as she brought Leah's hand up to cup her breast. She gasped as she felt Leah's fingers squeeze her sensitive flesh, and she pressed herself into Leah's hand.

"I love you," Leah whispered into her mate's ear.

Bella turned in Leah's arms. She threaded her hands into Leah's hair and pulled her into a slow, passionate, burning kiss. One of Leah's hands worked its way into Bella's hair as she moaned in pleasure. The other hand went down and cupped Bella's ass, causing the vampire to gasp into Leah's mouth.

Breaking off the kiss, Leah panted, "Yeah, I'll definitely never let you go."

Wordlessly, Bella pulled her wolf into another searing kiss. She couldn't get over the taste of her Leah's lips. She tasted like cinnamon, which perfectly matched her scent. Leah's lips, Leah's taste, Leah's scent; just a few of Bella's favorite things, and her favorite things were rapidly filling up with Leah. Bella's breasts pressed into Leah's as she molded herself to her wolf.

"Ya look like yer happy, yeah?"

The voice caused Bella to break off the kiss and face the interloper. Her eyes opened and focused on the object of the intrusion. It was not a person she particularly wanted to see. Leah's low, threatening growl reverberated through her chest, and Bella felt assured.

The interloper was a woman standing around eighteen feet from the porch. Bella, even with her vampire heightened senses, didn't hear her approach. The woman was just under six feet tall, about the same height as Leah. Her shoulder length fiery red hair was swept back, giving her a feral aura. The silver aviator sunglasses that reflected like mirrors perfectly hid the woman's calculating eyes. And Bella knew that the black coat that almost reached the ground that the red haired woman wore would just whisper as she moved. Bella also knew there were a lot of weapons under that coat.

"You're here," Bella stated neutrally.

A playful smirk appeared on the woman's face as she returned, "Thought I'd drop in and say hi." She slowly lifted her left arm, black gloves on her hands, and pointed a gloved finger at Leah.

Oh, hell no.

Bella was instantly out of her lover's embrace and across the distance between the porch and the woman, lashing out at her with all the speed and power she was capable of.

As fast as Bella was, the red haired woman instantly matched her speed, sidestepped and ducked under Bella's arm, and thrust upward with her right, catching Bella under her jaw with a palm strike. The vampire didn't have any time to react. Her head snapped backward and she landed on her back, her speed and momentum carrying her over five meters across the grass covered ground, dazed.

"That all ya got?" the woman taunted. "Been out fer a week an' yer already rusty."

Leah was furious. _No one_ attacks her mate. She leapt off the porch and exploded out of her clothes into fur and fang. And she was fast. Faster than Bella. She crossed the distance in half the instant it took Bella, and lunged at the red haired woman.

Like Bella, the red haired woman matched Leah, and twisted out of the way of the wolf's razor sharp teeth. Leah's momentum carried her past the red haired woman, her jaws snapped shut, intent on catching her target, but only catching air. And the red haired woman lashed out, kicking Leah in her side, hard. The wolf yelped as she felt a couple of her ribs crack. And there was power in that kick, Leah flew. She landed and rolled to a stop almost twelve meters away from the red haired woman.

And that woman didn't even have the decency to sweat.

_What the HELL was that?!_ came Paul's voice over the pack link. He was on patrol with Quil.

_Woman,_ Leah panted, it hurt to breathe, _red hair... attacked Bella._ She attempted to stand, but collapsed.

Quil's voice rang through her mind, _We'll get the rest of the pack and be there real quick._

Leah chuffed, _Oh... good._ Then she passed out.

The vampire rolled onto her side, it had been a while since she had been hit that hard. Then she saw her wolf on the other side of the yard, clearly injured. Bella watched as Leah pushed herself up, then collapse.

"LEAH!" the vampire screamed. Her eyes changed from crimson to obsidian, and she pushed herself off the ground. She turned to the red haired woman, and her vision went red.

Bella roared as she charged across the ground, intent on tearing the human apart. But the woman was just as calm as ever, standing there. The first strike the vampire made, she didn't even try to dodge. The speed with which Bella attacked was faster than the human eye could track, but the woman simply matched that speed.

The red haired woman didn't attack, all she did was block, dodge, and sidestep around Bella. It lasted for a few seconds. Until the woman smirked playfully. Twisting as she blocked one of Bella's kicks, she grabbed the vampire's ankle and braced her other arm against Bella's thigh. In the same twisting motion, she lifted the vampire over her shoulder, and slammed her into the ground.

Feeling herself being lifted into the air, Bella twisted during her downward arc and landed on her side. Pushing herself up with one arm, the obsidian eyed vampire lashed out with another kick. Which the woman slapped aside. The motion spun Bella in the air, and the woman stepped in, latching a hand around the vampire's neck. Before Bella could react, the woman twisted and threw her. The vampire landed on her feet and kept her balance even though she was sliding backward.

It was then that Bella remembered that she had more than just her fists and feet. She pulled out her Blade. The black metal contrasting with its glowing red lines. And that wicked edge demanded blood. Instantly, the woman's smirk disappeared.

Bella rushed in, as did the woman. Before Bella could attack with her Blade, the woman caught her wrist, ducked and spun under Bella's arm, and thrust her fist into the vampire's elbow. Bella's arm snapped, and it sounded like the snapping of a tree.

Ignoring the pain, Bella dropped her Blade and spun around her opponent. She caught the weapon in her left hand before it touched the ground and raised it over her head. Completing her maneuver and facing the woman, Bella brought down the Blade.

The woman blocked the overhead strike the same instant she kicked Bella on the inside of her right knee. Like her elbow, Bella's knee collapsed with the sound of a snapping tree. The vampire went down to her knee, and the woman's fist caught Bella on her right temple. Bella spun, facing away from the woman, and was down on both knees.

The punch didn't make her see stars, but it did clear Bella's red haze. Then Bella felt a hand on her back. It was like that of a palm strike, it had the motion, but not the power. Bella knew what it was, and without that red haze, realization dawned on her.

Aw, crap.

"Aba," the red haired woman intoned.

An explosive BOOM sounded through the yard, like a cannon being fired. A shockwave tore through Bella's chest. The shockwave wasn't lethal, even to humans, but it launched her through the air like a cannonball with comparable speed across the yard and into the woods.

Bella knew vampires didn't sleep. But she knew that they could be knocked unconscious. And when her face impacted with a large tree at the edge of Charlie's backyard, everything went black.


End file.
